loominate installation gives visitors the chance to rewrite history

loominate installation gives visitors the chance to rewrite history
all images courtesy of jean-charles penot, phu nhin ho

french and british artists jean-charles penot and phu nhin ho, as part of their ongoing ‘revival’ series, created the ‘loominate’ interactive installation. the piece, which was featured at the liang shi art gallery during beijing design week 2015, contemplates china’s history and the growing influence placed on the past by rapid globalization.

local chinese artisans created the thread fabric used during the installation 

specifically, ‘loominate’ focuses on traditional handcraft and shows that even ancient practices can be translated into modern interpretations. the installation takes on the form of an authentic chinese loom, measuring six meters across and includes all fabric making systems — from thread feed to textile output.

‘loominate’s’ three meter rotating fabric allowed guests to watch and interact with the work

for the installation, a portion of the loom was activated in order to carry fabric in a circular motion. LED tracers highlighted certain portions, and guests were given UV pens to draw on the surface. as the textile rotated visitors could write on the surface, and a symbolic step by penot and ho showcased the power of individuals to write and rewrite our lives and history. 

guests were handed UV pens to ‘draw’ onto the fabric

‘loominate’ represents being able to rewrite our history

a visitor at the installation 

loom sections 

profile view 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom